Eastern Europe / News
Ukrainian oligarch Kolomoisky faces life imprisonment for murder
Igor Kolomoisky, once considered Ukraine’s most influential oligarch and a supporter of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has been charged with an organised murder from over 20 years ago, which carries a penalty of life imprisonment.
New Ukraine funding deal gives EU members opt out on military spending using CBR frozen funds
Neutral EU member states will be able to opt out of a plan to use profits from Russia’s central bank frozen assets to purchase weapons for Ukraine.
Polish judge shows up in Minsk asking for political asylum
Judge Tomasz Szmydt says he is protesting against the actions of the Polish authorities that could potentially lead to military conflict with Belarus and Russia.
Raiffeisen says pressure to cut Russian loanbook will complicate exit
Austrian lender suspends full-year target numbers after the ECB warning.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry calls on world to reject the legitimacy of Putin’s presidency
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it does not recognise Vladimir Putin as the democratically elected and legitimate president of Russia the day before he was due to be inaugurated for the fifth time.
Nothing concrete has yet emerged from nuclear plant talks with Russia, says Uzbekistan
Tashkent has received proposals from other countries, though as things stand there are no talks on alternatives to Russian bid, UzAtom director says.
Russia doesn’t like taking a back seat to China in Central Asia trade
But domestic economic woes may be slowing Beijing’s exports.
Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian oil refineries cause domestic petrol prices to surge
Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries are causing a shortage of petrol on the domestic markets and have sent prices at the pump surging in the last few weeks.
Russia is producing weapons at a record pace, and Ukraine’s partners are trying to increase support for Kyiv
Russia is producing weapons at a record pace, and Ukraine’s partners are trying to increase support. Over the past year, Russia has learned to develop new weapons and ammunition faster than at any time in its modern history.
Lithuanian leaders back sending 29,000 military-age men back to Ukraine
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte believe that Lithuania should help Ukraine get back its military-age men living abroad.
Top Russian mobile operator MTS announces $86.5mn share buyback
Russia’s biggest mobile phone operator MTS is offering its international investors whose shares have been trapped in Russia by sanctions an opportunity to sell their shares at a discount and get a return on their investment.
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Czech police point to Russia's GRU as investigation into ammunition explosion is shelved
Czech interior minister says that Russia is “transgressing valid international agreements” after it refused to cooperate with Czech authorities on the case.
European banks still in Russia see profits quadruple, pay over €800mn in taxes
Western banks that have continued operations in Russia paid more than €800mn in taxes last year, marking a fourfold increase from pre-war levels, despite pledges to reduce their exposure following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Putin did not order death of Navalny, US intelligence agencies conclude
US intelligence agencies do not believe that the death of Alexey Navalny was ordered by President Vladimir Putin, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Tajikistan protests to Russia over treatment of citizens with 1,000 stranded at Moscow airport
Central Asians have faced xenophobic backlash since March terror attack allegedly committed by Tajik gunmen.
Startup Defence Builder to build drones and technology requested by the army
Ukraine has witnessed a surge in defence tech innovation initiatives. Defence Builder is a startup accelerator aimed at fostering collaboration between Ukraine’s military, business and startup community to develop technologies requested by the army.
Ukraine waits impatiently for new US ammunition as intense Russian attacks continue
Ukraine needs at least seven Patriot air defence systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, urging allies “not to waste time,” in his daily broadcast on April 27, as Ukraine continues to get pummelled by Russian missiles.
European Parliament rules Russia’s presidential election illegitimate, calls Putin a "murderer"
In a sting blow for the Kremlin, the European Parliament ruled that Russia’s presidential election was illegitimate and blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin personally for the “murder” of opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
Poland in two minds over Ukraine’s efforts to bring conscription-age men home
Poland is ready to help Ukraine bring conscription-age men home after Kyiv stepped up its mobilisation effort, a top government official said this week. But hundreds of thousands of people leaving Poland could be a huge problem for the economy.
US secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine in February
The US secretly sent Ukraine long-range missiles in February ahead of the new $61bn aid package on April 20 that Kyiv used for the first time this week.